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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Stuffed Chicken over Creamy Mushroom and Leek Sauce

For
our Christmas party last night, I made chicken breasts stuffed with sundried
tomato pesto, ricotta cheese, and fresh spinach. I thought the red and green
colors would complement our Christmas theme. I served the chicken sliced
over a creamy mushroom and leek sauce. Delish. I served this with scalloped
potatoes, but it would also be good over rice.

Preheat oven to 350
degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg; set aside. Slice the
thick part of each chicken breast and flip open. Pound each chicken breast to
about ¼” thick. Season outside of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Flip
breast over and spread the inside with pesto, then ricotta cheese and top with
5-6 spinach leaves. Starting with the thin side, roll up as tightly as possible
and tuck in the ends to form a neat roll. Secure each breast with 2 toothpicks
or tie closed with cooking string.

In a large frying pan
with a few drizzles of EVOO, heat over high until oil starts to smoke and oil
ripples. Brown all sides of chicken and transfer to a large casserole dish.
Bake uncovered for 15-18 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way
through and juices run clear. Let rest before slicing.

Sauce:

1 Tbsp butter

1 large leek, cleaned
and thinly sliced

3 large baby Bella
mushrooms, diced

½ cup white wine

½ Tbsp cornstarch

½ Tbsp Dijon mustard

½ cup heavy whipping
cream

Salt and pepper, to
taste

In the same frying pan
used to brown chicken, add butter, leeks and mushrooms; sauté for 3-4 minutes. Scrap
up browned bits of chicken from pan. Add wine and cornstarch, bring to a boil
and whisk together. Turn heat to low and let reduce for about 5 minutes. Whisk
in mustard. Add cream and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour sauce into
a shallow serving dish and top with sliced chicken.